Do you own or manage a business? If so, then you understand the importance of quality printed marketing materials.
After all, you won’t be successful for very long without the ability to reach your target audience.
While there’s no denying that there are now more tools available than ever before to get your message out in the world, printed marketing materials remain one of the most effective forms of advertising.
This article takes a look at some of the best ways to increase sales for your business using printed media for direct mail advertising. Keep reading to get the inside scoop on how to take your marketing efforts to the next level.
1. Printed Marketing Materials Generate Higher Response Rate
It’s no secret that digital marketing gets a lot of attention. After all, you see it everywhere. This is due to the proliferation of mobile devices and personal computers in millions of homes around the world.
And yet with all the digital material generated every second of every day, it doesn’t always succeed in producing the desired results.
Unlike digital ads that are easily ignored and forgotten, printed ad materials actually have a very high response rate. In fact, the response rate for direct mail is actually around 37% higher than the same message delivered by email. Additionally, the average person will spend 30 seconds reading snail mail compared to only about 11 seconds reading an email.
2. They Provide Strong Support for Your Digital Marketing Strategy
It’s important to keep in mind that a marketing campaign should never rely on a single type of media platform.
For example, you’d never want to use only print or only digital or TV ads.
The key is to use each type of media as a support system for each additional media platform.
In other words, even when you make a significant investment in digital marketing, you’d be wise to use printed materials in order to enhance your social media or website marketing efforts. This is because you can use the printed materials to drive traffic to your website or even include a free download with the direct mail materials.
When multiple advertising platforms are combined in creating your marketing strategy, it will result in better brand awareness, drive more sales, and produce much better feedback from your target audience.
3. Most People Prefer the Tangible Feel of Printed Materials
The simple truth is that there’s still nothing more effective than holding something in your hand. A well-produced piece of printed marketing material generates a visceral reaction in the reader for a number of reasons.
For starters, high-quality materials feel good in your hands. The texture and the weight of the materials, plus the smell of something that’s been printed immediately registers with all of your senses. This is simply hard to deny.
Next, consider the appeal of quality imagery. Printed visuals allow you to view them at different angles and different light sources. This enables the message of your marketing strategy to really pop.
The overall experience of printed materials is more substantial and stays with the reader because it’s more than just a collection of pixels flashed on a screen. After all, you don’t have to be holding your device in order to receive a printed marketing message. This factor is often taken for granted.
It’s also important to consider the fact that consumers are overwhelmed on a daily basis by digital marketing. Whereas printed materials are easier on the eyes and seem more authentic.
4. Print Readers Have Longer Attention Spans
The human attention span is getting shorter. Why? The average person multitasks now more than ever before. Thus they will likely have 5 to 10 browser windows open at a time on their computer, along with social media apps open on their mobile devices while watching a movie on TV.
Because of this, digital ads that flash across the screen for a moment or two will likely never be noticed or instantly forgotten.
And yet this typically isn’t the case with most printed media. When people read printed materials, they generally aren’t in such a hurry to discard it. Plus, they are more likely to read the entire message, which makes the marketing investment far more valuable.
5. Direct Mail is Highly Measurable
One of the most crucial aspects of marketing is the ability to produce measurable results. Were you able to reach your target audience? And if so, how did they react?
In other words, did your marketing strategy work?
The ability to produce measurable results enable you to know where to make changes, and even to see if you presented your message in the most effective way possible.
One of the most effective ways of tracking results from marketing tools such as direct mail is by including discount codes or coupons. It’s a simple matter of comparing how many coupons or codes against how many were mailed out to the target audience.
6. Print Leads to Improved Brand Recognition
As mentioned previously, printed material is an ideal way to improve brand recognition. This is especially true when you consider the fact that the average person receives less and less snail mail than in the past.
With less mail to go through and read, the printed materials from your company have a better chance of standing and getting the level of attention that you desire.
Never forget that the entire purpose of the mailer is to put your brand in front of potential customers so that it will be planted in their minds. If you accomplish this step, your marketing strategy has already produced successful results.
7. Direct Mail is Cost-Effective
Printing and mailing are relatively low-cost actions, making direct mail an affordable form of marketing compared to other platforms. Plus you can send out small direct mail campaigns in order to test the water before investing in a much larger campaign.
A Guide to the Benefits of Using Printed Marketing Materials
Finding ways to effectively reach your target audience is one of the biggest challenges your business will ever face. Fortunately, printed marketing materials offer a way to improve customer response even on a limited marketing budget.
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